Here we are, Logan Airport, waiting to board a flight to Doha, Qatar. This trip has been years, and thousands of dollars in the making. Still hasn’t really set in to be honest, but I’m to excited to see the man that I become by the end of this. Physically, mentally, and emotionally this is easily the hardest thing I’ve tried to date. But life is short. Cheers to future Jack, you have the greatest and most supportive friends and family in the world, and I can’t wait to see what you accomplish. 

Journal entry, 7-6-2022

After the first day in Thailand, despite not sleeping for the previous 72 hours, I knew I was going to be okay. I had intentionally arrived a few days earlier than my friend Isaac, who I’d be traveling with for the first 3 weeks of the journey. I did this to test the waters of solo travel, as my only prior experience was a 2 week solo-circumnavigation of Utah’s National Parks, and at this point even a few days felt like it could be a lifetime. But after walking in and  nervously fumbling through check-in in Thai, I had immediately ran into my first friend. I sat down for breakfast, which was included in the fare, and had only taken my first bite of egg when the guy across from me introduced himself. His name was Tyler, and he had gone to school in California. We had graduated in the same year, roughly 2.5 months earlier, and had both decided to travel after school. After having to defend my decision – maybe only to myself – for months prior, it was insane to be meeting another version of me. We discussed school and the insanity of graduation as we walked through the temples of What Phra Kaew and the Emerald Buddha, and we bonded over the desire to travel at bars on the infamous Khao San Road. I never had time to be scared, because I immediately was put right back into a situation I was comfortable with. I had lived in a house with 18 other guys ages 21-22 (for better or for worse) for the two years prior, so a hostel life became an upgrade. My mindset went from “how will I meet people, are there even English speakers traveling to this region?” to “I can just explore all these cool places and meet new people?”. It was a game changer. 

Was I disoriented? Absolutely. I had no clue what was going on the first few days, if I’m being honest. Being the “first time backpacker’s first day in a hostel” guy is never as fun as you remember it (that doesn’t mean, however, that when you run into someone on their first day of the trip you don’t celebrate with them). I had no idea as to hostel etiquette, I had furiously tried and failed to learn as many words in Thai as I could, and I was tired. 

Science tells us that novel experiences increase memory and make time feel like it moves more slowly. Travel can literally add years to your life, although you probably give most of them back in stress and liver damage. At the beginning of the journey, everything was incredibly new. The most foreign country I’d been to previously was Germany on a high school trip. I didn’t know that I even liked to travel like this, or if I was mentally, physically, and monetarily prepared. But especially at the beginning, the adrenaline of it all really helps ease you into the pace and mentality. Thailand is a crazy country, both because it’s still ruled by a true Monarchy and because you can get nitrous oxide balloons to huff for like $2 at a large portion of their bars. I’d recommend starting in Southeast Asia to almost any RTW or long distance traveler, because it’s way easier than you might think. It’s so well trafficked at this point that the routes and hostels are incredibly efficient, and the most you should pay for absolutely anything is like $7. I stayed in a hostel that had free (yes, free) beer every night from 8-9 PM (I was the only guy who the bartender wanted to lift the keg, so he always gave me immediate refills). Also, there are just so many travelers year-round that every hostel or tour is full of fun and interesting people to meet. It’s definitely a younger crowd, and you’ll meet a lot of Israelis (it’s called the Hummus route to some). 

Full Moon Party (should I publish this on the internet?)

My friend had done most of the booking for our Southeast Asia trip, as I was busy doing a significant amount of other planning. I was not totally set on what Full Moon Party was, but I learned almost as quickly as I set foot in the country. On the boat to the island, we saw a pink dolphin, and we knew we were in for something special. Haad Rin Beach in Koh Phangan hosts a party every full moon, and I had set my expectations incredibly high. After walking around and getting food, we settled into our 12 person hostel room and planned for the evening. We took a Jeep to the beach (you just wave them down and sit in the back of what feels like a wagon), and immediately purchased buckets – essentially 3.5 shots in airplane bottles, a soda, and another mixer. As we walked around, there were thousands of people on the beach, with every bar blasting massive speakers aimed outside. Firedancers, people night swimming, and tons of people walking around near the bars. The party lasts until sunrise, they sell shakes infused with magic mushrooms, and loads of people get injured or burned from the firedancers every full moon. You paint your body beforehand, which we did at our hostel, and just prepare for an insane evening. We did not stay until sunrise, although I could not tell you when I left, but we had an incredible time. I’ll stop here, and am not incriminating myself in any meaningful way. (The boat ride early the next day was one of, if not the worst, of my life).

I don’t have a lot of photos from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam because my phone was stolen in Korea and although I thought I pay extra for Google Storage for a reason, they were not saved.